The western half of I takes a convoluted path as it utilizes a portion of original bypass routes constructed for U. The west end of Interstate also marks the historic west end of Interstate I was extended north along the U. This resulted in a four mile overlap with I through West Asheville, where cardinal directions are posted opposite for each route.
Interstate heads west from the Montford Avenue overpass to a directional T interchange with the U. The final section of I completed linked the original U. This portion bypassed the two lane Beaucatcher Tunnel along U.
The freeway along U. As such, the s-built freeway north to Woodfin is designated as Future I until upgrades are made along the corridor. A portion of the route will be bypassed by the I Connector , a new alignment and bridge across the French Broad River planned to meet forecast traffic counts.
The I Connector includes upgrading 4. North from there, a new 2. New spans will cross the river in a sweeping arc, returning the I mainline in the vicinity of Patton Avenue. The existing Bowen Bridge will be refitted to provide additional space for bicyclists and pedestrians and repurposed for local traffic between Asheville and West Asheville.
The present exchange between I and U. The Asheville loop was originally proposed as a 3. Some federal figures suggest the cost of highway construction is rising more rapidly than overall inflation, increasing 3. Weaver said he is unsure how much of a factor that is in the rise in the estimated cost of the I Connector. Many other elements of the connector shown in preliminary plans remain the same as they were a year or two ago.
I traffic will, if traveling west, head north for a short distance on what is now U. Eastbound I traffic will make the same trip in reverse.
Bowen Bridge will still be mostly given over to local traffic, although as noted above, some decisions about what it will look like are yet to be made. Alan McGuinn, a local architect who for years has pushed for changes like a boulevard-style Bowen Bridge and diverting I traffic onto a new bridge, says the current plans are "a mixed bag for me.
He said DOT engineers have yielded ground on some demands by community members after "a point when we first started when I had to stand in the door to keep them in room" for discussions of changes.
But, he wants to see a more attractive new bridge and one less traffic lane on the westbound span of Bowen Bridge, issues that could come up at Tuesday's public meeting. As planned now, the connector will be "much better than it was when we started the process," said Wisler, Asheville's vice mayor and another proponent of a boulevard-style Bowen Bridge.
An informal "open house" during which people can see maps and discuss the project one-on-one with engineers will run p. DOT will make a formal presentation at 7 p. The maps can also be viewed at City Hall by visiting the city transportation office on the mezzanine level or at DOT's Division 13 office, 55 Orange St.
They are online at www. They will be accepted through Jan. Facebook Twitter Email. I Connector in Asheville will bring big changes. Here's a preview. Mark Barrett The Citizen-Times. Show Caption. Hide Caption. Last May, the DOT announced that it had finally settled on Alternative 4B, which calls for separating interstate traffic from Patton Avenue, building a new bridge linking future I to West Asheville, and reconnecting the adjacent Hillcrest neighborhood to the highway. Information about upcoming meetings, he adds, can be found at ncdot.
And for the neighborhoods most likely to be affected, promises go only so far, notes activist Dewayne Barton of the Burton Street community. Nonetheless, says Barton, neither the city nor the DOT has offered much in terms of concrete action. They actually did what they said they was going to do. For her part, Lawrence sees the continued community involvement with the connector project as an encouraging sign that residents are taking an active interest in how their city is shaped.
Mayfield, however, says residents frustrated by the seeming lack of progress need to be patient. So we have to fix it before it goes up.
Long after the construction dust has settled, notes Rapp, the decisions made today will continue to affect the city and its residents. How is your neighborhood going to change when the road comes through? We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories.
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See here for our terms of service. Current plans show facilities for bikes and walkers on the eastbound span of Bowen Bridge but say all lanes of the westbound span would remain open for traffic, despite expectations that the number of vehicles on the bridge will drop dramatically once the new French Broad River bridge is completed, Mayfield said. Other outstanding issues are the number of lanes the new bridge will have and what will be done with DOT-owned property next to the east end of Bowen Bridge, Mayfield said.
City officials want the new bridge to be four lanes to reduce its impact on Montford, the neighborhood adjoining the area where the bridge will tie into what is now U. DOT says six are needed. The city has pushed for new roads to leave room for some of the land east of Bowen Bridge to be redeveloped for housing or other uses.
Mayfield says DOT planners "chopped that corridor up in a way that doesn't allow for much infill opportunity. DOT reevaluates its long-range plan every two years and there will be another opportunity to ask for widening to be accelerated, she said.
City Council has "said to our constituents we would do our best and work very hard to make sure that this project benefited the residents of Asheville as much as the people traveling through Asheville on I," she said. West Asheville resident Ted Figura is encouraging his neighbors to oppose a faster schedule too, but for somewhat different reasons.
Figura hopes that once the other parts of the I Connector are built, it will become apparent that there is no need to widen I He says he also supports the city's push for modifications to DOT plans so as to bring more benefits to the city from the project.
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